Scottish Fiddling at the Games is Glengarry Style
Over 200 years ago when the first Scottish settlers came to Glengarry, for sure there were a few treasured fiddles among their scant possessions and that’s where it all began. Any dance, funeral, wedding and social event would undoubtedly have one or two fiddlers who would keep the music going all day and night long. In the 1970s, the sound of the fiddle was getting less frequently heard until a small group of Glengarrians got together to form the Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society with the goal of reviving and enhancing the playing of the celtic fiddle in Glengarry. Their success can be measured in the numerous fiddlers playing today in the counties and beyond, and in a style that is unique – the Glengarry style.
The Scottish fiddle in Glengarry is a bit like the Cape Breton sound combined with the Ottawa Valley sound with all of them having a little more “snap” than the fiddle music of their homeland. Still when the fiddlers from Glengarry get together with the fiddlers from Cape Breton they can play the same tunes but there is a subtle difference in the two that takes a bit of time to bring together.
Each year the Glengarry Highland Games brings together Glengarry’s fiddlers of all ages for workshops, performances, concerts and a good old ceilidh. Some of the Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society fiddlers can still be found playing when the Massed Fiddlers group welcomes everyone to the Tattoo on Friday night at 6:30pm. For a sneak preview of their performance, check out the Massed Fiddlers some 50 strong warming up in the Arena Hall from 5:30 – 6:30 pm before they entertain on the main stage in the infield.
To see how fiddling is growing in Glengarry, spend some time at the Youth Fiddlers Showcase on Friday afternoon starting at 2:00pm. Get there early for a seat as this is an immensely popular session where the students of Ian MacLeod and David MacPhee show off their skills. These two instructors have been instrumental in building a cadre of young fiddlers some of whom have gone on to play professionally. Ian’s school attracts students from all over Glengarry and covers all ages. His daughter Ashley, a well known fiddler in her own right has now joined her dad in teaching and has even started a fiddle group for 4-6 year olds. The MacLeod Fiddlers are the performance group of the MacLeod school of fiddling and have performed at several Highland events in Canada and the USA as well as a tour of Scotland in 2012. The students of David MacPhee also perform at many functions either as soloists, a group or part of a larger group. Hundreds of fiddlers are now playing in Glengarry and beyond thanks to these two people. The young fiddlers will be sure to entertain when they perform as part of the Youth Fiddlers Showcase and then on Saturday at the Scottish Fiddle Concert in the Arena hall.
Every year, the Scottish fiddle committee invites a guest fiddler to conduct a workshop on Saturday from 9:30 til 11:30 am for any fiddler who wishes to attend. Names that resound in the world of Scottish fiddling such as Buddy McMaster and his niece, Natalie, Jerry Holland, Troy McGillivray, Andrea Beaton, Mike Hall and Kimberly Fraser, along with Glengarry’s own Kelli Trottier and Ashley MacLeod have led workshops for jam-packed audiences of eager learners.
This year will be a real treat when Glengarry’s own Heather Flipsen from Williamstown takes to the stage as guest fiddler and workshop instructor. Starting the fiddle at 5 years old and not stopping since, this 22 year old has a long music biography already. Her fiddle sound has added to groups including The MacLeod Fiddlers, the Toridon Scottish Country Dance Band and the renowned Brigadoons with whom she still continues to play. This year, Heather also released her first solo album, Just Fiddling Around, that includes traditional favourites as well as some of her own compositions
To get a taste of what Glengarry has to offer to the fiddling world, be sure to attend the Fiddle ceilidh at 5pm in the Arena Hall and get a taste of that Glengarry style when the fiddlers take to the stage. The lineup includes Heather Flipsen, the Glengarry Massed Fiddlers, Bernard McDonell, Kelsey & Cassie McDonell, Ashley MacLeod-McRae, The Students of David MacPhee, Charlotte Reed, Evelyn Cumming, The MacLeod Fiddlers, Rachel Campbell, Connor MacLeod, and more.
All fiddling events take place in the Arena Hall. As an added bonus to all of this great entertainment, the Arena dining room is air-conditioned. Drop in and lend an ear to two days of fine Scottish fiddle -Glengarry style.